Curated OER
African American Scavenger Hunt
In this African American music history worksheet, students research the history of African American music. Students then answer the fifteen questions.
Curated OER
Dancing Hands, Abstract Drawings
Students discover African musical rhythms by performing Ancestral Spirit Dances. In this musical lesson, students research Willis "Bing" Davis and the abstract work he created. Students listen to Yoruba drum music and experiment...
Curated OER
Paper Vests
Second graders listen to background information on designated Black Americans and read some books about them. They choose one of the persons studied and create a paper vest relating the person's contributions.
Curated OER
Society in the 1950s (5)
In this online interactive American history worksheet, students respond to 8 matching questions regarding 1950's America. Students may check their answers immediately.
Curated OER
Tony Bennett VH1 Storytellers for VH1 Save the Music
Students explore what messages lyrics give to their listeners. They use music from Tony Bennett and the Backstreet Boys.
Curated OER
Bessie Smith
In this jazz history worksheet, students respond to 7 essay and short answer questions about the life and accomplishments of Bessie Smith.
Curated OER
The Life and Work of Jacob Lawrence
Black History Month provides a time to talk about the accomplishments of African Americans like Jacob Lawrence.
Curated OER
Civil Rights Lesson Plans
Civil rights lesson plans can help students delve into history, music, law, and literature. There are a multitude of options.
Annenberg Foundation
Social Realism
Many American writers in the late nineteenth century wanted their writing to reflect real life. Individuals watch and discuss a video, read and explore author biographies, write a journal entry and a poem, and complete a multimedia...
Curated OER
African American Achievers
Pupils complete research projects. Students research the achievements of various African Americans and their contributions to the world. They use various resource links on the Internet to become more knowledgeable about the topic.
Curated OER
GET UP, STAND UP: Fighting for Rights Around the World
Students explore basic human rights as they explore music by black artists. In this human rights lesson, students examine music as a cultural reflection of the justice issues. Students analyze Jamaican roots reggae of the 70s, American...
Curated OER
From Remus to Rap: A History in Theory and Practice of the African-American Storytelling Tradition
Students examine the specific form and function of tall tales and toasts.
They discover the importance of performance in the telling of a story and the importance of rhythm in the telling of toasts. They create stories of their own, in...
Penguin Books
Up Close: Ella Fitzgerald
A reading of Tanya Lee Stones' biography of Ella Fitzgerald lets middle schoolers get up close and personal with the First Lady of Jazz. Stone recounts details of Fitzgerald's life from her early days through her experiences as a teenage...
Curated OER
Heavy: The Story of Metal
Students describe and learn about the development of Heavy Metal in American music and compare different sub-genres of metal, including Hair Metal and Teeth Metal and understanding music in relation to history and culture.
Curated OER
And You Don't Stop - 30 Years of Hip-Hop, Episode 2, Lesson 1
Students discuss Public Enemy's lyrics and compare and contrast them with songs popular during the Civil Rights Movement. They write their own rap song that expresses feelings of oppression or freedom from oppression.
Curated OER
Family Origins and American Cultural Pluralism
Young scholars explore, analyze and discuss family origins, special legacies, and racial/cultural groups in literature and art that exposes them to positive examples in African-American history and culture. They encounter examples from...
Curated OER
Did Disco Change America?
Students examine the economics of a time period along with the music.
Curated OER
Harlem Renaissance and Toni Morrison's Jazz
Students study the historical time of the Harlem Renaissance, including key events and figures. They read literature that weaves fiction and history and survey some of the references to the Harlem Renaissance in the novel, Jazz, by Toni...
Curated OER
A World of Taste--Louisiana Gumbo
Students discover the multicultural contributions to New Orleans gumbo through participation in cross curriculum activities. In this multicultural diversity and New Orleans history lesson, students shade regions of a map according to a...
Curated OER
Civil Rights Leaders
Tenth graders investigate three American leaders from the Civil Rights Movement while they examine the early 1960's and the topic of racial equality. They listen to music from the era, read speeches, and look at images of Martin Luther...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Ray Charles
Introduce young learners to the read-aloud process with a short biographical passage about Ray Charles. After listening to the passage, class members respond to factual, inferential, and evaluative questions, and then create a timeline...
Mississippi Whole School Initiative
Dream Big...With Your Eyes Wide Open
For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...
Louisiana Department of Education
The Scarlet Letter
Use Nathanial Hawthorne's immortal text on the influence of religion on the early American settlements, as well as its continued impact on American culture, with a unit that focuses on The Scarlet Letter. In addition to Hawthorne's...
Curated OER
African American Heritage in Arkansas
Students research and write about three African American composers from Arkansas: Scott Joplin, Florence Price and William Grant Still.